Blue Skies
by trumpet1
Summary: William, 17, is shocked when he is chosen for the Hunger Games.  How will he survive?  Especially when the girl tribute Kayla, 14  from the Division is relying on him, but doesn't care about her own life.  What will he do?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Today was the most dreaded day of his life, but it happened every year. Here, in Division Eleven, everyone would be gathered in the village square to listen to our new mayor declare who would be the "lucky" children to go participate in the 61st Hunger Games.

William walked quietly to the square, his mother at his elbow, his father holding his mother's hand, and his five younger sisters swirled around him. He was the oldest, at seventeen. The next was Aileen, who just turned eleven. At least they didn't have to worry about her yet.

"Will, if your name is called," his father began.

"I'll have to go, father," Will replied in a shaky voice. "I'll do the best I can."

He looked pained. "William, listen, I am telling you, that no matter what happens, our family loves you. Those Careers will get the best advantage, but...I believe you can do it."

William looked at his hands sadly. "Thanks, father. And hey, I haven't been chosen yet! My name has been entered five times now, and nothing bad has happened."

"Don't be overconfident. We panic every year, son," his mother said quietly.

"And, first, we shall choose the boy," stuttered the new mayor, Mayor Dudley. He picked out the name with a trembling hand. In a loud voice, he called, "William Ericks."

William felt like someone had dumped a gallon of lead on him. "Th-they said m-my name, father."

His mother turned in to his father's embrace, sobbing. William roughly pushed past a young girl, an older couple, and a small family to climb on to the stage. He looked out at the crowd, seeing the misery on their faces.

"And for the girl," Mayor Dudley stammered, lifting a piece of paper. "Kayla Newers."

The young girl he had pushed by, trembling and looking shaken, followed him up on to the stage. William was lucky he was in shock, for he'd probably be panicking once everything hit him.

"No!" wailed a young man, probably her age. "You can't take her away!"

"I volunteer!" cried the other young man.

Mayor Dudley said sadly, "You cannot. It is against the rules for a boy to volunteer for a girl."

William frowned at the girl, feeling sorry for her. She was a small thing, only 5' 5". Sure, that was tall compared to the kids. Next to the other tributes at the Games, she'd look tiny. He knew her vaguely. She was a quiet girl, shy and withdrawn. She cared very much about other people and was a natural with helping out. Will knew that her love for people wouldn't help her in the Games at all.

"Alas, the reaping has ended," said a bubbly young woman, who had won the Games six years ago, when she was twelve. She had been the youngest at the Games, and the boy from the division had helped her, but he ended up dying because of a poisonous bite. "And I shall be your mentor!" She shook their hands, and introduced herself, "Dasha Serecks."

The girl was quiet, refusing to meet anyone's glances. "It's a pleasure," she mumbled.

"Same," William replied softly.

Dasha smiled a little painfully at them. "I'll be picking up you two tomorrow morning."

Will nodded, and avoided the crowd as he pushed past them, ignoring their shouts and questions as he walked home, his family following him silently.

William sank weakly in to a chair, and started to cry. He had never cried in his life before, except for when he dislocated his left shoulder. He didn't understand why he cried now.

"Will, we can..." his mother faltered, and spoke in a trembling voice. "We can make it through this."

Aileen through her arms around him, crying too. "I'm so sorry, Willie. I'm so sorry. I don't want to lose you!"

William patted her back, holding his sister close to him. "I love you, Aile. It's okay. I promise."

"You win this, you hear?" demanded Aileen. "I can't...I don't know what I'll do if you never come back."

"There's people who've trained for these Games since they were two, Aile. I don't know how I'll..."

"I DON'T CARE!" Aileen shrieked. "I can't lose you!" she sobbed.

"Aileen, go to your room and compose yourself," his father said softly.

Aileen turned and ran in to her room, slamming her door and her sobs filling the small house.

"Isabella, Annalie, Karalin, Terralla, go to your rooms," his mother ordered. All his sisters quietly walked in to the room after Aileen.

William looked up at his father. "You want to tell me something." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, I do, William Isaac Ericks." He walked over to the window, looking out it for a moment. "You take care of that little girl."

"She's not little," said his mother shortly. "She's almost fifteen."

"Yes, but do you know how small she'll seem compared to the other tributes?" his father snapped, not out of anger though.

William asked, "Why?"

He sighed. "Listen, before I married Adelaide, I dated the girl's mother."

His mother elbowed him. "I thought we didn't talk about th-"

He continued anyway, "Her mother, of course, lost interest in me and married the man who works in the farmhouse. Her mother died a few years ago, and she's lived with her father ever since. I don't care what happens, Will, you will take care of her."

William looked at his mother, who just shrugged and had the look that said, "just go along with it, 'kay?" He looked back at his father and nodded. "Yes, Father."

"Thank you."

There was a loud knock on the door, William walked to answer it. At the door, stood the man his father just previously talked about. The man who worked at the farm.

"Mr. Newers," William said, surprised.

"Mr. Ericks," replied the older man. "I have something for your family."

"Please, come inside," William offered, leading him and the girl inside.

"Thank you," He handed a plate of something to his mother. "Adelaide, John, I made these for you. It helped me feel better, and I thought your kids may like them."

Adelaide pulled the foil off to reveal some cookies. "Oh, thank you so much," she sniffled.

John put his arm around Adelaide. "Would you like to have dinner with us?"

"Much obliged," he replied, smiling in the same painful way Dasha Serecks had. "Kayla, this is John, Adelaide, and William. This is my daughter."

"I'm sure you were very saddened to hear the results of the reaping," said Adelaide.

"I'm sure you were as well," he replied, sitting down.

Kayla stayed standing, looking awkwardly at her hands. William was surprised when she spoke. "William, I'd like to speak to you."

He wasn't sure if she had even spoken, for she continued to look away. Everyone looked at her in mild surprise. William stammered, "Me?" He wasn't sure what about this girl made him feel so cornered and nervous, but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her in to a different room.

"I, um," she began quietly, staring at the opposite wall. "I am really scared." She hesitated, and then continued, "Are you?"

William felt shocked. His mouth was dry, so he licked his lips nervously. "Uh, yeah. Of course I'm scared."

Kayla looked at him in the eye for the first time. "I don't think I'll make it very far. I have confidence that you will win. If you do, can you take care of my father? He hasn't been the same since my mom died, and he...I don't know what he'd do without me."

William gulped and stuttered, "Kayla, I...I think you'll do fine."

"You think?" she said, a look in her eyes beyond comprehending. "I can't hurt anyone, William. Even if they're hurting me, I won't be able to do anything."

"Look," he started again, but she cut him off. "No, William. Just promise."

"I promise," William said after a long, uncomfortable pause.

There was a different look in her eyes now. Surrender. Sadness. Grief. "Thank you, William." She walked back in to the other room, leaving Will in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"Goodbye, William," Adelaide whispered against his ear, hugging him tightly. "I'll miss you, son."

"Bye, mother," he turned tearfully to his father. "Father." He hugged each of his five sisters, and then turned to Dasha Serecks. "I'm ready now."

"We'll be back!" Dasha told them brightly. "Farewell!" She waved happily, leading the two tributes to a large train.

"Are we going to the Capitol?" asked William.

"Yes, yes, you are," she said, smiling at him and Kayla. "You will love the Capitol."

Kayla nodded, though she did not look like she agreed.

"Any, uh, quick suggestions?" William asked as they sat in a small huddled group on the train.

Dasha frowned, staring out of the rain stained train window. "Don't get killed, perhaps?" she giggled, smiling at them again.

"Oh, now that's real helpful!" hollered Kayla, slamming her fists on the table and standing up.

They both stared at her, in shock. Neither had expected her to show a temper.

"You act like we're going on vacation!" Kayla shouted furiously. "We are going to our deaths, and you sit there, grinning and laughing as if-!" she broke off, and emotion filled her voice. "As if there is not a care in the world."

"After six years," Dasha whispered, closing her eyes slightly. A tear fell down her cheek. She looked at them, a grim smile on her face. "After six years, I finally get a feisty group of tributes. We have just begun."

Kayla opened her mouth to yell, but her mouth flapped as she tried to find something to yell about. She sank weakly in to the train seat, sighing. "What are we going to do?"

Dasha said seriously, "You are going to listen to every word I say. You will listen to your stylists, you will do whatever they want you to do. You will endure everything they have to say about you with a smile on your face. You two will stick together at all times."

Kayla lost the tempered fiery look in her pretty green eyes and slumped back against the back of the seat. Will watched her with some worry. He had never met a girl like her before. He hoped that, when confronted with life or death situations, that she would get that fire in her eyes again.

Crinkling her nose at the thought of listening to every single rule, Kayla said coldly, "And in the arena? What then?"

"Oh, don't worry about that yet," she said, with almost a sneer in her voice.

They got there in due time, to be whisked away to their stylists. William was taken to a different room, but Kayla found she did not care in the slightest.

"Who are you?" she asked the group of three which attended to her immediately.

"We're your prep team!" announced the female brightly.

Kayla had to endure much pain as they were determined to rip every bit of hair on her body away except for the hair on her head. They scrubbed her clean, clipped her finger and toe nails, washed her long hair, and looked over their handiwork.

"Oh, now you look human," cooed the first woman happily.

Kayla smiled at them as sweetly as possible. "Aw, thank you. No one has ever done something...so...nice for me."

"Ahh, of course not!" they chorused. "But don't fear, you're with us now."

Kayla was secretly relieved when the prep team skipped ridiculously in to the other room, chanting in their silly accents that the stylist would be with her soon. She pulled on the thin robe, shivering a little.

"Kayla Newers?" asked a tall and strong woman, walking in.

"Um, yeah."

"Hmm." A smile crossed her face briefly. "It's a pleasure. I'm Terrin. You're very pretty, you know that?"

Kayla looked at the long mirrors which surrounded her and studied her own pale face. "Heh, well...I suppose so."

"And I have a brilliant plan. You'll look amazing!" Terrin twirled happily over to a cedar box and opened it's glossy lid. "Close your eyes, dear." When her eyes were closed, Terrin asked, "It is Division Eleven that is in charge of Agriculture, indeed?"

"Indeed," repeated Kayla.

"Ooh, that's great!"

When Kayla opened her eyes, she was decorated in a long, flowy goddess like dress, with silky billowing skirts and a beautiful flower on her waist.

"Oh," Kayla giggled in delight. "I have never worn something so pretty!"

"Yes," Terrin replied softly. "Flowers...plants...all part of agriculture, which reflects your Division, as well!"

Kayla blurted out, almost against her will, "What about William?"

"Don't worry about him, dear," Terrin replied, smiling. "My partner is taking care of him." Terrin sat Kayla down carefully, braiding colorful wildflowers in to her hair and resting a wreath of berries and flowers on her head. Terrin sighed happily. "Oh, it's beautiful. Everyone will love you."

Kayla saw her expression and felt herself blushing as she strapped her shoes on.

"Be pretty, head held high, and smile!" Terrin said cheerfully, pushing her to the doors.

Kayla stumbled out to the Division Eleven chariot, William was already there. He was neatly dressed in a farmer's outfit, fixed of course to look more impressive. He as well had a wreath of flowers decorated across his head. She felt herself flush deeper when a forbidden thought crossed her mind: he is cute. Not only that, he looked brilliant. His skin was dark and his body powerful. His eyes were a dark mix between brown and green, and the beauty of his cautious expression made Kayla want to hide.

"You, well, you look pretty," he said kind of awkwardly.

Kayla giggled nervously. "Heh, I feel ridiculous."

"Don't worry. Everything will be perfect." He sounded like he was trying to assure himself. "Yeah..."

"Yeah."

They stood there, next to the chariot, looking at each other and wondering what the other would do.

"Get in the chariot!" called Terrin, grinning at them.

Kayla stepped awkwardly in to the chariot, and gripped the sides fearfully, looking down. "I hate this."

William stepped up next to her, and held his warm hands over her icy cold ones. "I'll make sure you won't fall."

Kayla found herself blushing and looked away. "Heh...thanks."

"No problem."

District one, two, three, four, and five went. They were soon followed by six, seven, eight, nine...and then it was their turn. Their chariot whirled after ten, feeling like flying. Kayla felt like she was the leaves that were pushed in to the wind, forced to go where they didn't want to go. Her braided hair followed in a beautiful stream. She never felt beautiful before, but now, with everyone cheering and screaming at the tributes, she felt like someone had inflated her chest with happiness. She had never been happy before.

William watched Kayla; she was so pretty. He had never been so attracted to someone younger than him...then it struck him, painfully. She was probably plotting his death. Just like the other tributes. There would only be one left. He preferred her. He didn't want anything to happen to her.

He shook the thought from his head, noticing how she was absolutely glowing, smiling and waving at the crowd happily, blowing a kiss at someone who threw a pretty white rose at her.

William followed her example, waving at people. He wondered if his family were watching him them, worrying, wondering, fearing...

"Don't let go of my hand!" cried Kayla. "I'm gonna fall!"

He gripped her hand tighter, waving at the crowd and forcing a smile.

They finally stopped, and Kayla was ready to release his hand, but found since he didn't, to hold it was not so bad.

"I hate this," he whispered.

"I'm scared," she whispered back.

"It'll be okay." The words were horrible-a lie. Nothing would be okay. The District 2, 4, and 5 tributes looking like absolute killing machines. Only one person would survive.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"We are going to the training center today," Dasha said softly, avoiding their eyes. "I'm warning you; don't show off your abilities too much. The Careers will try to scare you as much as possible. Don't let them psych you out. They are people through and through, and you shouldn't fear people. People make mistakes; they're only human."

Kayla nodded. William didn't care for the expressionless look on her face. Kayla could appear completely unafraid when she wanted to.

"Come with me," Dasha ordered. "I will oversee your training. Stay together at all times."

Kayla didn't argue. William frowned in her direction. Sure, she was quiet normally. But right now, she was freakishly silent. He wondered if that was a bad thing.

They followed her to a huge ring. There was spear throwing, bows and arrows, shelters, weight lifting, hand to hand combat, masking, making snares, tying ropes, and backpacking.

"What are your better qualities?" asked Dasha softly as the athletic man went over rules.

"Um," William looked at the other tributes. "I like archery, but I'm just average at it. I'm pretty good with the weight lifting."

"Okay. Don't do too much of either, Will," Dasha whispered. "You don't want to show off what you're good at. Kayla?"

Kayla frowned at everything, her eyebrows knitted. "I'm not good at anything."

Dasha winced, grimacing at the small girl. "You're small...I'll bet the masks, snares, and spears will be helpful for you. I wish you were bigger and stronger than you are...but you're not like me." The tall woman looked down at herself, her muscles still powerful. "I was a tall girl. You're just a little thing."

Kayla flushed. "It isn't my fault!" she snapped.

"Shh!" Dasha and William both hissed.

The closer tributes glanced in their direction.

Kayla shrugged at them, smiling shyly. She whispered, "Sorry."

One of the Carrer tributes, the boy from Division 2 smiled at her. "No problem."

Kayla blushed a little, looking away. William frowned at her.

"You may start now!" announced the man, grinning at them as if they were kids on a playground.

Kayla and William turned to each other. "What first?" William asked.

Kayla frowned. "I don't care. It's not like I'm going to live very long in there anyway."

William knocked her shoulder lightly. "Come on, have a little confidence."

"Fine! Let's start at the beginning. Spear throwing."

There were several different types of spears. Sharp ones, small ones, long ones. Kayla tried to throw the long one, but only succeeded in lifting it an inch from its resting place.

"Oh forget it!" she hissed to herself, trying a smaller one.

"Hey, girl," said the spears expert. "Allow me to help." He lifted a few other spears, and then gave her one. "I think this one will suit you well."

Kayla lifted it easily, and shifted it to her left hand.

"Are you left handed?" asked the expert.

She shook her head. "I'm left eye dominant. Ambidextrous."

"That's a good quality to have," he informed them, offering William a spear.

She cocked her elbow back and threw. It was a gentle, easily deflected throw, but it hit bulls eye.

"Try throwing harder and faster," advised the expert, handing her another spear.

Kayla threw long, hard, and fast, causing William to take a sharp gasp. It was nearly invisible as it sped and thunked in to the board in the head part of the shape of the human. The board fell backwards.

"Impressive," the expert said, gazing at the fallen target in awe.

"Let's move on," William said, taking Kayla's elbow and pulling her along. "Thanks."

They walked on to the Archery. William was further shocked to find that Kayla hit the bulls eye again. And again. He didn't shoot much, just watching the small girl hit that target.

"Wow..." he said, his mouth slightly agape. "Where'd you learn this stuff?"

"The nights...my father was drunk, I have to go out and shoot game to keep us fed," she admitted, quietly enough so cameras wouldn't capture it. "Especially after my mom..." she lost that fire again, and missing the target altogether. Her eyes a little shiny with what he knew were tears, she said, "Let's move on."

"Shelters," William said, trying to pull her mind on to a different subject.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," she said, kind of dazed as they moved on.

William knew the girl was quiet. Bringing her to the Capitol opened her up a bit, made her a little more confident on the last week before what could possibly be the end. But as she moved back on to the thought of her messed up family and everything she had lost made her shut down again.

"Pay attention!" exclaimed the Shelter expert. "This is important stuff, kiddo!"

It didn't help her much. Throughout the rest of the morning, she was just going through the motions.

Lunch was interesting. Most the Careers except the Division 2 boy gathered together for lunch. What was interesting, was that they invited William and a different boy, the Division 12 boy, to eat with them, but neither did.

"They only choose the strong, muscled people," Kayla told him as he sat down next to her.

They fell silent as the Division 2 boy sat down next to Kayla. "Don't mind if I sit here, do ya?" he asked.

Kayla shrugged a little. "Not at all."

William glanced around a little. "Say, you're one of those Career tributes. Why aren't you with them?"

"I don't like them," he said honestly. "My family is poor. Everyone in the District was very jealous of me. I haven't prepared for this at all."

William thought, If the boy was telling the truth, then that was why he was one of the smaller of the boys.

"So what's your name?" Kayla asked, smiling friendly.

"Sean," he replied. "You?"

"Kayla. This is William."

Will nodded at the boy. "Who's the District 2 girl?"

Sean pointed at a girl that was taller and more powerful than himself. "She's Kate. She's six foot three, preparing for this her entire life. She's good at everything." There was a tinge of jealousy in his blue eyes.

"I'm only five foot five," said Kayla sadly.

"She weighs more than I do," Sean replied softly. "I'm six two."

"Six four," William said, looking at the other Career tributes. "Who else is there?"

"Well, Kate is District 2, six foot three, 210 pounds. District 3 is Lea, six foot, 185 pounds and Hunter, six foot six, 255 pounds. Mind you, that's all muscle. District 4 is Anne, six foot two, 190 pounds, and Bret, six foot seven, 269 pounds. He's a monster."

"That's really nice," muttered Kayla, looking disappointed. "Cause then there's Kayla Newers, District 11, five foot five, and 125 pounds."

"Ha!" laughed William, earning a little shoulder knock. "I'm six foot four, 203 pounds even."

"You're skinny," stated Sean. "I'm 209 pounds."

"I doubt mine is muscle," said Kayla. "I think it's only skin and bones, and then maybe a little of something else."

William smiled. "Don't worry, I'm nothing compared to that Hunter, or Bret! Gosh...scary."

"At least you don't weigh 100 to 140 pounds less!" Kayla teased.

Sean looked at the other tributes. "Well, then there's the tributes from 6 and 7...both are pretty skinny. They look like they've been starving their whole lives. District 8 and 9...they look like puppies."

Kayla frowned. "What does that make District 11?"

"Kittens?" Sean said, smiling a little.

Kayla smiled too. "District 12...poor kids. They're both younger than 14."

"Yeah. There's quite a few that won't make it the first half a day." Sean sighed. "I really don't want to do this."

"That's a surprise, coming from a Career district," William said.

Sean blushed, taking a cautious bite of his sandwich. "Well...I suppose..."

"So, I wonder how this'll go."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

There were three days of training. Kayla, Sean, and William walked around together most of time, getting constant glares from several of the Career tributes. They made Kayla nervous.

The inspections weren't too bad. William got a ten. Sean told them later that he got a ten as well. Kayla got an eight.

Terrin showed up that morning, smiling. "Hey, I've got an awesome angle for you! Beautiful dress. Go talk to Dasha."

So, while Terrin and her partner worked on William, Kayla talked to Dasha on the angle she should have with the interview.

"I thought we'd try something along the lines of you being cheery. You're too quiet for being cocky or witty, you're not funny, and I don't think sexy is the right angle for you. Mysterious might work."

Dasha gave up on mysterious pretty quick. She tried everything she could think of eventually, out of desperation. "You're too blunt! Stop answering with your little yes or no grunts!"

"What am I supposed to do?" she snapped.

"Please me! Flatter me! Make me happy!" exclaimed Dasha.

Kayla frowned at her angrily.

"Humble won't work, there's nothing for you to be humble about. Courtly, perhaps?" Once Dasha explained the meaning of the word, they tried.

She even had problems acting courtly and civilized. Nothing was working.

"Listen, girl, this is about getting you money! Sponsors!" Dasha snapped, exasperated. She took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "Let's try sweet and cute."

Dasha asked her a few questions, and Kayla tried to answer with a sweet smile and response, keeping her body language cute and courtly as possible.

"Ah, we may have found what we want," Dasha said, looking a little tired from working with her difficult tribute. "Go get Will for me, and have Terrin dress you up all pretty."

Kayla walked in to the other room, feeling like her brain had gone to mush. "William, Dasha wants you to talk to her."

William nodded, all dressed up like a gentleman. "Thank you, Kay."

Kayla blushed a little, hiding her face from him as she turned to Terrin. No one else knew this, but Kay was her special nickname given to her by her mother. It was still something special.

"Here, close your eyes," said Terrin, helping her in to a smooth strapless dress. It was long and beautiful, a creamy white color. Terrin curled Kayla's hair back, keeping up with a pretty butterfly decorated comb. She had two inch golden heels, and a pretty necklace around her neck. The dress was to her ankles, an empire waist and a flower on her waist strap. It was flowy and pretty, the top part was fancy and lacy.

"There, that's gorgeous, my dear," Terrin said, smiling at her handiwork. "Now, don't be afraid. I'll be watching, so if you need help, just glance my way and calm down."

Kayla nodded and followed Dasha and William out.

"Will, everything'll be alright," Dasha was telling the young man. "Trust me."

"Is something wrong?" Kayla asked.

"No." Dasha was still short with her, since of the problems earlier.

They sat for the longest time. Kayla tried not to fidget, but she was very nervous.

"It's your turn!" whispered William, smiling encouragingly at her.

Caesar Flickerman grinned happily at her as she made her way up to the stage. "Ah, Miss Kayla Newers everyone!"

Kayla stood next to him and shook his hand, smiling shyly.

"So, Kayla, what is your favorite part about the Capitol so far?" Caesar asked.

"Um," Kayla hid her discomfort with a smile and a shrug. "I don't know. Everything so wonderful! The people are so nice, and the food is amazing. I didn't know food could taste so good!"

"Ahh, yes," Caesar said, smiling. "That's my favorite part too. It shows, doesn't it?" he asked the crowd, patting his stomach. "Oh well." The crowd laughed. "Well, what did you think about that nice agriculture goddess dress that your stylist came up with?"

"Oh, Terrin was so incredible! It was very clever. I've never known someone so intelligent, and then I realized the Capitol is full of those amazing, smart people!"

She knew already that she had totally won the crowd, by the modest blushes on the peoples' faces.

"It was kind of scary, you know. I've never been on a chariot like that before! It was fascinating."

Caesar grinned. "Yes. Tell us about that eight that you got. That's pretty impressive."

"Heh," Kayla said, blushing a little. "I could've done better."

"Yes, but for the smallest girl here, that's impressive!" said Caesar with his smiley eyes.

"Oh, you're too sweet," she said, giggling.

"So, what was your first thought when you were chosen?" asked Caesar.

William knew before he even saw her eyes that this was her downfall question. The light in her eyes died. She stuttered, her words no longer pretty and clear like a bell. Her first thought had been her mother.

"I, um...I was worried. About my father," she said, avoiding the gazes of everyone. "I, uh, was worried what he'd do without me. I love my father very much." She knew these were the wrong words. Dasha would chew her out later.

"Yes, of course you do," Caesar said encouragingly. "I loved my father too. Don't we all?" he asked the crowd, getting a loud and confident response. "What about your mother?"

"My um...Mother?" The buzzer went off, and Kayla said weakly, "my mother is dead."

It was an awkward way to end, but Caesar shook Kayla's hand again. "Well, well, welcome to the Capitol, Miss Newers."

Kayla walked down to her seat and sat down, refusing to look at anyone.

William walked up and easily entertained the crowd with some humor, some sweet flattery, and witty comments. "And, with all this great food and amazing people, I'd like to come here more often! It's so beautiful here! The Capitol people sure do a great job with their city. Not only that, I get to have the chance to get to know a pretty girl."

"Oh, Miss Newers you mean?" asked Caesar.

"Yes. Kayla has been great." Will blushed a little.

"You have a girlfriend?" Caesar asked.

"No. She's not my girlfriend. She's like a little sister to me."

Caesar patted him on the back. "I suppose winning won't help you at all, then."

Kayla felt herself flush. She had never had an older brother before. Suddenly, she wished she was nicer to William. Then again, what of the arena when he killed her?

"Yes, well...I'm still thinking over on what to do. I have some pretty interesting ideas to bring to the arena."

Caesar smiled. "Well, District 11, we wish you luck!"

District 12 finished quickly, and then they walked back to the hotel. Kayla and William walked next to each other.

"Do you want to talk?" William asked, half way there. "Nobody here except me and you."

"No."

"I...um, I was serious you know. And, I think I like you more than just a little sister. I have enough of those anyway."

Kayla blushed in spite of herself. The kindness was much too sweet. "Heh...well...I think you're pretty great too." She hated him almost. Just the fact that she knew she would never see him again after the Games was painful. Such nice people have a way of digging in to her heart and burying themselves there.

"If anything ever happens to you..." he winced a little against the thought. "I really want you to win, Kayla."

"Yeah, I don't matter, William. I want you to win. I don't want to."

"Kayla! Don't ever say that!" Will cried.

Kayla snapped, "Listen, William. I can't kill a person. How am I going to get through this if I can't do anything but survive?"

"Kay, look-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she shrieked.

Will looked shocked. "Kayla."

She was nearly breaking down in to tears. She was having a mental breakdown, which wasn't a surprise as tomorrow was the beginning of the Games.

"William, I can't kill people."

"Kayla, when you are in life or death situations-"

"I've already killed someone before," she said, her voice such a soft whisper that it was barely audible.

"What?"

Kayla had tears in her eyes. "M-my...my mother's death. It was all my fault." She took a deep, shaky breath.

"You can't blame yourself, Kayla."

"Yes I can!" she sobbed.

William walked her to the door, and after explaining over her cries to Dasha and Terrin the problem, walked her to her room and walked to his room by himself.

It was exhausting, staring up at the ceiling with a pool of dread in his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"Welcome to the 61st Hunger Games!" shouted that booming voice.

Sixty seconds seemed like a long time. Kayla looked in the direction of trees. That would be the best bet. The place to hide. She looked back at the weapons. A spear. A short, dark spear that would be perfect to hide and conceal. It would fit perfectly in to her hands. It seemed so far away. She wondered whether she should run for the weapon or run for her life.

There was a long blast and Kayla forced herself not to move. She tilted her head and caught sight of the District 12 girl, or maybe more likely what the District 12 girl was. She had stepped forward slightly and was blown to bloody bits. Kayla felt a tear in her eyes. She blinked it away and focused on the spear.

A gong. Loud and crashing echoed through the air. Kayla sprinted as fast as she could and dived for the spear. She wrapped her hands around it. She grabbed a backpack and a knife, and turned to run when something tickled her side, at her hip. She looked down, wincing, and saw a knife. She keeled over, in pain and tried to stay still as if she were dead.

Several cannon shots echoed through the air. She forced herself limp as the fields cleared.

"Is she dead?" grunted a Career boy tribute from District 4. Bret, Sean had said his name was.

Kayla felt a hand touch her shoulder, and then her throat where her pulse would be. There was something familiar with the touch, and she knew that with the way her pulse was going, that he would tell she was alive.

"She's dead," said the voice, and she nearly gasped at the realization. It was William.

They were soon gone. Kayla peaked through her weak eyes, and saw blood, tributes fallen, and several opportunities for weapons. So some unknown reason, they had left the knife in her side, the spear in her arms, and the backpack on her shoulders. Wincing, she sat up and opened the backpack.

The backpack had some neat contents. A first aid kit, a sleeping bag, and a loaf of bread made from her own District even. She pulled out the first aid kit and wrapped up her hip, pulling the knife out and getting bright red blood.

"I'm sorry; I should've listened to you, Dasha. Ran for my life." She packed everything in to the backpack, and gathered what else she could find. More bread, some knives, a bow and arrow, a water bottle. She lifted the pack on to her shoulders, and limped in to the forest.

Kayla couldn't believe what had happened. William had joined the Careers. He had saved her though. And what of Sean? She didn't see his body strewn across the field.

A hovercraft appeared, taking away the District 12 boy.

She walked for quite a while, and the silence was relaxing. She couldn't believe what had happened. The heat was almost unbearable, but she was used to working the fields. Heat was common. Water. Find water. She took a sip from the water bottle, and kept walking.

"It's going to be dark soon," she whispered to herself for comfort. She got to the forest, and peered through it. There were thick green trees, and many bushes. It was going to be difficult finding people.

"I don't know what to do now." Her stomach growled, and she smiled grimly. Find food. The obvious. She set some snares, hoping to find a rabbit once she got back. She walked around, leaving little signs to show herself how to get back.

"Water." She stumbled across a river, smiling happily. She filled a container full of water and put a couple drops of iodine in it. This shouldn't be so easy.

"We should make a plan," she heard a loud voice and so she scurried back in to the brush, hiding deep in the middle of a bramble bush.

The same loud and confident voice continued. "We need to make a plan. We know that two-thirds the still alive tributes came in to the forest. We must decide which ones to kill first."

They came in to sight. The Career tributes. Bret, Hunter, Lea, Anne, and Kate. And, to her shock and horror and relief, William.

"Well, both District 12's are dead," William said. "District 11 girl is dead. District 10 girl is dead. District 9 both hid in the field. District 8 and 7 are in here somewhere. District 6 boy is dead, but the girl is somewhere. District 5 girl went to the field and boy was killed. District 2 boy is somewhere in the forest."

"And District 1?" asked Bret, looking at William.

Will shrugged. "I don't remember. I think the girl came around here somewhere."

"I want to take this in a very organized way. We should make a main camp." Bret was obviously the leader; everyone was nodding. "We want to kill off them in an easy way. District 10 boy first."

"I'll look for him," Kate said. "I need someone with me."

"Sure," said Lea. Anne volunteered too.

"Let's have a camp right here next to the stream. Everyone comes to the stream," Hunter suggested.

Bret nodded at him. "Go gather some stuff for a camp."

William and Hunter left. Bret sat down and organized the food. Kayla had never been so scared before. She shivered and pushed herself closer to the middle of the bush.

"Hey, Bret!" shouted Lea. "We need a knife! Kate got stuck in a snare! Someone else is nearby!"

Bret jumped up and left the possessions in the middle of the stream. They were so close and tempting. Leaving the backpack, Kayla shot out and took another knife, two loaves of bread, and what was a gift from a sponsor. Sunglasses. She rushed back to her bush, just as William walked in to sight.

She began to wonder what William would've done if he had caught her. Scratch that. Hunter followed. She would've been completely dead.

"Where'd Bret go?" wondered Hunter, as they piled their wood there.

Bret came back with an injured Kate. She had an arrow in her shoulder.

"It was that darn Sean!" Kate hissed. "He shot an arrow at me. Anne saw him, and he ran."

"Not caught?" asked William. "I didn't hear a cannon."

"Not caught," Bret growled. "Anne and Lea are coming back soon." He went back to the pack. "What the heck?"

"What's wrong?" asked Lea.

Bret sifted through the pack. "My sponsor gift is gone! So is the bread and a knife!"

"But we got here just after you left," Hunter said sensibly. "There must be another tribute nearby."

William looked around for a clue. There were none. Whoever had stolen it was long gone. Or so they thought.

Kayla opened her bread and ate a little. She knew that this was good for her hip - rest. Relaxing. But they would kill her once they found. If they found her. Soon, though, they'd move on. Move camp. Sean...could she trust him? If she found him, could they ally?

"Smart tribute. I thought that we were the best," Bret told the group. "Anyhow, they'll pay!"

"What will we do?"

"For now? Time to rest." Hunter lied down next to Lea. William lied down next to Anne, and for some reason, Kayla felt incredibly jealous. Bret and Kate lied down too.

"I'll take first watch," Bret offered, sitting up.

It was dark, and the trumpets went off. The pictures of the dead flickered across the night sky. Six were dead so far.

Kayla forced herself to lie down and close her eyes. She couldn't do anything else but sleep. Sleep was restful. Gentle. She woke early in the morning, as the Careers were waking and discussing something.

"What are we going to do with him?" asked Kate softly, indicating William.

"I don't know. He's helpful," grunted Hunter.

"For now," Bret said. "For now."

"His girl is gone. His 'little sister'," Lea said. "He doesn't seem to care."

"I like him," Anne said in an opinionated way, patting his shoulder despite the fact he was sleeping.

Kayla had never hated someone more than she hated Anne in that moment.

"Blue skies today," said Bret. "Let's see if we can find some tributes."

"We should try hunting in the dark tonight," said Lea. "When everyone is sleeping."

"Good idea," said Hunter.

Bret nodded. "Well, let's start this day good."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Kayla knew she had to leave. There was only one person left at the camp. William. Will wouldn't hurt her, would he? She had to cross the stream and get somewhere safe. She couldn't stay in the bush the whole time. Could she?

There was a loud cannon shot. Kayla glanced up through the bramble bush and saw a female body being lifted up.

"The girl from District 8 is dead!" announced Hunter skipping happily in to the Careers' camp.

William smiled. "Good, I'm glad. Are you bringing lunch? I can keep guarding if you'd like."

"That'd be nice." Hunter left, leaving the lunch with William.

"Hey, I'm back!" sang a female voice. Anne walked over to William and kissed his cheek. "Kate and Bret caught two others in a net. The District 8 boy and District 9 girl."

"You're so incredible," William said.

Kayla felt her mouth drop open. She had seen the glint in his eyes. He was _lying_. Lying. William wasn't with the Careers. That made Kayla feel much better. She wasn't sure what she'd do if she had believed that he was really in love with that stupid girl. Probably would've been ridiculously jealous.

"I know!" she squeaked delightfully.

Kayla looked at her bread. She had eaten half the loaf yesterday, and there was still half plus two more. That should last long enough until they moved camp.

Two cannon shots. The boy from District 8 appeared in the air, and the girl from District 9 followed.

"Oh, Bret believes in painful deaths. It was probably torturous," said Anne, glancing at the images.

"Yeah, I'm sure," William said.

They were pretty quiet until Bret and Kate showed up, both laughing happily with their 'success'.

"Anyhow, we still have the girl from District 8 and the boy from District 9, and the boy from District 10," Bret informed them. "However, Hunter has a lead on the girl."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll find her soon enough," Will said.

"Yes, thank you for helping out, Will," Bret said. "We needed someone like you."

Kayla crossed her arms. She hated him for being there, in the middle of their camp, eating plenty of good food, enjoying company. Without her. Plus, they used his nickname. Only his real friends should be allowed to do that.

"I appreciate that," William said.

"Look, the sponsors sent a gift!" said Anne happily, lifting a white parachute up. "It's those glasses!"

"Night glasses," said Bret. "Yes!" they high fived each other happily.

"We should move camp tomorrow," Anne said.

"I agree," said Hunter, walking up. There was a cannon shot. "That was the District 8 girl. Lea is taking care of the District 10 boy. And right now, the District 9 boy is dying with a knife in the side. A spitting image of the District 11 girl."

"You know, she was kind of pretty," Bret mused, sitting back. "Too bad she had to die. She seems like my type in District 4. What was she like, William?"

William looked up at the sky. "Oh, she was very quiet. She really didn't want to kill, so it's probably good she was killed immediately."

"Yes. I wish I had been the one be in her District," Bret said.

"Why?" sneered Kate. "She was weak."

"I agree," Hunter said.

"You agree with anything the girls have to say," Bret said, smiling and causing the girls to giggle.

Kayla started chewing on her bread loaf, when a cannon shot nearly made her choke. The two District 7 tributes appeared in the air. They were dead.

Kayla started counting in her head. Five dead today, six yesterday, leaves eleven.

"They must've killed each other," Bret said. "Or perhaps, they got bit by a snake."

"Perhaps, we don't care as long as they're dead," Hunter suggested.

"We're being lazy. We need to start moving camp," Bret said.

"Already?" whined Hunter. "This is so easy!"

Kayla crept out of her bush on to the forest side and started running. She had no idea where she was running, but she had to get away from the Careers. She came across her snares and found a dead rabbit. She pulled it out, shoved it in to her pack, and kept running.

Kayla sprinted around a tree and crashed in to someone larger than she.

"Kayla!" exclaimed Sean, catching her.

"Sean," she gasped. "The-the Careers."

"They are still at the stream," said Sean. "It's okay."

"If you're going to kill me, Sean-"

"You might just want to call me crazy then. I'm not going to kill you." He smiled a little. "I'd like an ally. Is that alright?"

"That's great." She whimpered a little. Her hip was beginning to hurt like crazy. She sank in to a sitting position. "William. He is working with them."

Sean looked shocked. "He has to have a plan. He wouldn't do that. Especially if he knew you were still alive."

"They thought I was dead."

"William must've tricked them. He really cares about you, Kayla. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Besides, why would he hurt you if he's in love with you?"

"In love is a little strong," Kayla replied, pulling out her bread.

"No it isn't. He's obsessed with you." Kayla felt herself blushing, but a smile started to spread across her face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

It was dark. Kayla huddled quietly next to Sean, tired and relieved. For some reason though, this wasn't so hard. She felt herself starting to flush when this thought came across her mind. All she wanted was to find William.

The trumpets went off. Of the still alive were both District one, two, three, four, and nine. Ten alive. Plus William. And, unfortunately, Kayla. So, twelve.

"What are these?" Sean asked, taking the sunglasses.

"Sunglasses."

"No, they aren't. Kate used them at night. They're night glasses, Kayla. Try them."

Kayla put on the glasses and found she could see perfectly. "Sean-"

"Bret is going to want to hunt at night, Kay. We should hide better."

"Sean-"

"No, I'm serious!"

"The Careers!" she hissed, pulling out a knife and reaching for her bow.

"Where?"

Kayla pointed the best she could, and Sean squinted, but all he could see were looming trees. She handed him the glasses. Sean looked through the glasses, and now all he could see were trees.

"Kay, those are trees."

"No, they're there!" she cried. "I can still see them!"

"You're hallucinating. They aren't there."

"I can see them!" Kayla sobbed. "Please believe me, Sean, I can see them!"

Sean looked through the glasses, seeing everything he'd be able to see in the light of day. Nothing but the trees, swaying ominously back and forth. He shook his head. "Kayla, there's no one there."

She's sick. That's the only answer, Sean thought. Could it have been the water, or the food? Or perhaps just sick with terror. Does that give you hallucinations?

He squinted uncomfortably, blinking to try and see the looming figures of Bret, Hunter, and Lea. He gripped her arms to hold her still, and eventually, she turned to hide herself in him. She kept crying, and eventually cried herself to sleep.

"Oh yeah? Now what, Ron?" he snapped at his mentor, who he knew was listening.

William paced anxiously. The Careers were fast asleep. He needed a plan. He needed to find Kayla. He needed to know how to leave. He looked at the full moon, it shining brightly over everything, making everything beautiful. Beautiful. Just the word reminded him of Kayla.

So, maybe Sean was a little right. Will was a little obsessed with the girl. In fact, he could hardly stay off the topic long enough to think about anything else. Fortunately, the Careers were willing enough to do anything to keep him in the pack.

"William," said Bret. "I'll watch now."

"Thanks." He lied down and stared at the sky for some time until the warmth of the others and the silence lulled his exhaustion in to sleep.

She glanced up at the sky and they sat up dizzily. "Hey, those clouds don't look good."

Sean looked at the clouds, and then shrugged. In District 2, there was no reason to worry about clouds, except the rich people might get themselves wet during the rain.

Looking up uncomfortably every once in a while, Kayla packed everything in to a bag. Sean, noticing her wariness, looked out for the remaining tributes.

"There's nothing wrong, Kayla," Sean told her, but she just shuddered in reply.

They walked kind of cluelessly for a while, Sean nervously looking out for other tributes and hissing at Kayla to walk more quietly. Kayla kept looking up at the sky, a frightened look passing her eyes before the blank dullness came back.

Sean said, "Look, there's water."

"I'm not thirsty."

It was the same stream the Careers had been by. Sean stood up, and Kayla knelt next to the water, watching the reflections.

Suddenly, Kayla leapt up, glaring at the sky with a look between complete terror and defiance. "Sean, we've got to find shelter, and fast!"

Sean looked up, frowning. "There's only a rainstorm coming."

"No, come on!" Kayla snapped, taking the pack and starting to head for the trees, which were now a good twenty yards away.

Sean heard a distant rumble, like the sound his Dad's stomach made when he was hungry, or maybe the sound of a volcano. He stopped, causing Kayla to stop too and stared at the darkening sky.

There was a brilliant and terrifying flash of light, and a lightning bolt flashed through the sky, zapping the ground barely fifteen feet away. Kayla's scream was muffled by the sound of the thunder. Sean turned and sprinted for the shelter, now seeing her point.

Kayla stood there, frozen in horror. There was a flash of lightning immediately following, shaking the ground and causing Kayla to fall. Sean stumbled over to her, grabbed her elbows, and pulled her after him.

When they stumbled in to a cave, Sean huddling next to her and staring out at the storm. She whimpered, hugging her legs to her chest and hiding her face in her knees. Sean watched her for a moment, wondering about the frightened reaction.

Kayla blinked, frightened tears in her eyes as a flashback tormented her.

_It was a blowy and rainy evening. I was barely eight years old. My mom and dad walked over next to me, glancing anxiously at the sky. My dad pretended like nothing was wrong and continued to harvest the large plants. My mom pulled the plants up, piling them in to the wheelbarrow. She froze, staring at a reflection on a pool of water.  
>"Run, run, take shelter!" she screamed across the field.<br>People gave her strange looks, and then: it struck. The lightning bolts flashed, stunning and blinding the farm workers. They started to run. My mom took my hand, and my father's in hers and started running too.  
>We were much slower than everyone else, mostly because I was too young and small to be out here anyway. I tripped. My mom waited for my dad and I at a top of a hill. There was a loud rumble: she looked up and suddenly: FLASH! The lightning bolt struck right where she was standing. She fell over, convulsed, and fell still.<br>"MOM!" I screamed, trying to rush over to her.  
>My Dad grabbed me, flailing and screaming, and ran inside, to safety, while my Mom lay dead outside. "There's nothing you can do. Mom would want your safety first, Makayla."<br>_

_After Mom's death, he went to calling me Kayla. Makayla was too painful; it was my Mom's name. I've have never been able to even move when I hear a similar rumble like the thunder, or a similar flash like the lightning, it triggers something frightening and grief-striking. I think my Dad blames himself and I blame myself. It isn't Dad's fault. It's mine._

Kayla cried hysterically, and although the thunder was loud, Sean tried to quiet her in fear of being heard._  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

"Oh, Kayla."

Sean whipped around, hearing a familiar voice. He jerked out a knife threateningly, holding it out protectively to the wet figure that had settled next to Kayla.

William stood there, behind them, completely soaked from the rain, with a worried look on his face. He wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl, and she buried her face in his chest.

"William, listen, if the Careers are behind you...if you've betrayed us...I will kill you," Sean threatened, holding his knife up.

William looked at him sadly. "Sean, I wouldn't betray you. I left the Careers."

Kayla looked up at him. Her eyes were pretty like that - wet with tears and sparkly. "William, I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you, too."

"You saved my life," she stated.

"How's your hip?" he asked at the same time.

Kayla reached for the bandage and unwrapped it. It was a bruised badly and the gash, though not bleeding, was deep and looked bad. "Well..."

"Here, Dasha sent me some infection medicine," William said, pulling a tube of medicine out of his pocket. He spread it on to her gash gently, trying not to hurt her.

"William...I can't kill anyone."

Will looked at her sadly. "I know, Kay. I know."

Sean loved Will with a brotherly type love, but he stared at the guy with cautious, round eyes, listening carefully for anyone nearby. "Listen, William, I'm serious."

Will looked at him, an even glare in his eyes. "Sean, I appreciate you taking care of her. I trusted you, you know that? I still trust you. Why can't you trust me?"

"We are in the Hunger Games," Kayla said, a foreboding ring in her voice. She stood up, pain in her eyes. "What are we going to do when there's only the three of us left, huh? How are we going to go on?" Her voice was cold, but the pain and grief in her eyes was very understandable. "It's sad to think the guys who saved me are plotting my death."

"I'm not plotting your death!" shouted Sean and Will at the same time, both looking furious and completely ignorant of other tributes. Sean said, "I saved you for a reason, Kayla Newers. I'm not planning to kill you."

"I would never be able to hurt you," William murmured.

Kayla looked at the both of them weakly, and a sad look came across her face. "The Capitol is going to be mad."

William shook his head, rolling his eyes. He threw his arms around her. He couldn't help it. He had missed her and worried about her so much.

"William," Kayla whispered, bringing her hands up to him and holding his face. "William."

"Kayla, you can call me Will. I don't mind. Kayla." He held her hands on his face, a tear tracing its way down his already damp cheeks.

Sean stood up awkwardly, stashing the knife away. He tried to think of something to say, but he came up blank.

William stood up too, dropping Kayla's hands. "Sean, I'm sorry." They stood there in front of each other, and then both guys gave a rusty laugh and gave each other a brotherly hug.

"Gosh, Will, took you forever to figure out to find us." Sean growled, smiling a little.

William smiled too, looking relieved. "I know." He sat next to Kayla again. "I missed you."

Kayla put her arms around him, looking tired and relieved. "I'm glad." She leaned against William and eventually fell asleep.

"She asleep?" whispered Sean.

William nodded.

"Good. She needs sleep. That girl...I'm worried about her. Her mind seems much to fragile to handle these games," Sean murmured.

"She's stubborn," William replied softly. "But yes, she is fragile. I'm worried about her."

"Why do you want to risk your own life to get her home safely?" Sean asked.

"I could ask the same of you."

Sean looked down. He took a deep breath, and then admitted softly, "I grew up without a dad. My mom is a strong woman, but she couldn't handle my father's death well. I had all younger brothers. They, like many other boys, insisted on taking care of themselves. I always wanted someone to protect that would allow me to protect them. I suppose...in a sense, Kayla's my little sister. I'm so tired of just existing. I guess that I just...found someone I care about enough to send home safely. You?"

"I have a few reasons. My dad wants her back more than me-"

"Oh, I know that feeling," Sean said, looking sad. "When my mother told me she thought district 2 was winning this year, she meant Kate. Not me."

"She is worried about her dad, and...I care about her a lot. I just wanted to prove to my dad that I could do something right. Save her, save her dad and her family, save everyone who would miss her. No one would miss me as much as they'd miss her."

"There is one person, Will, who would not be able to live without you."

"Who?"

Sean looked at the sleeping girl, and then at William. "Don't you know? Kayla."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

William sat up, wondering for a dazed moment why all he could hear was Kayla's frightened breathing. "Sean...?" When the guard boy didn't respond, William blindly took his sword and his eyes flew open wide.

Standing there, with a knife in his hand that was pressed against Sean's throat, was Hunter.

For a moment, William wondered why Sean wasn't dead yet, but Hunter was staring at the sleeping figure of Kayla. "She's not dead," growled the Career, his eyes dark with puzzlement. "You lied?"

"I lied about a lot, didn't I?" William said. "Now, release Sean or you'll get an awful heart ache." He pointed his sword at Hunter's chest.

"There's one thing you haven't learned, Will, that you should've a long time ago," Hunter said coldly. "You can kill me, and I kill Sean, and I am not alone. Lea, Bret, Kate, and Anne-yes, Anne-will hunt you down. We don't hunt alone. We're smarter than that."

Something hit William hard, and he crumbled to the ground. He saw briefly the outline of a girl and knew it was Lea. He was going to die. "I wish I could've protected you better, Kay," he whispered.

There was a whistle and a thunk. Lea gasped and fell forward, twitching and falling limp. There was another whistle and thunk, and suddenly two cannon shots went off.

It took William a minute to see correctly, what with his head aching and everything. He sat heavily against a hard rock and squinted to see Kayla standing there, with a shocked, pained expression on her face. In her hands was a bow, a quiver of arrows strung across her shoulder. She seemed to come to and immediately knelt next to the shaking form of Sean, who was bleeding on a throat wound on the cave floor.

She didn't say anything comforting about how he'd be okay, that he would live. They all knew it wasn't true.

"Sean," she said, her voice weak and shaking. It was obvious she was crying, but she seemed awfully brave right then. "Hush, I'm here now."

"I...I know..." he choked, sounding like he was in a lot of pain.

"Dasha," Kayla said, her voice tight with pain. "Something to take him out of his pain. Please? Please!"

A white parachute fell next to her; a syringe. She took it out and pushed the needle in to his skin. He gasped a little and then calmed.

"You...you wasted a sponsor gift on me?" he asked.

"You were so brave and kind, Sean. I had to do something." She stopped for a moment because the emotion was so overpowering. "You have been a great friend to me, Sean. You changed my life. I don't want you to leave."

"I have to," he whispered, his eyes beginning to fade.

"I know. Sean, think about how much you love your home. Think about the blue skies you see in the morning and the delicious food you eat every day. There's that beautiful flower that you never gave much attention, but it was there anyway. Everything is so beautiful and warm and friendly."

"Talk," Sean pleaded, his eyes starting to close.

"The birds sing. The sun shines. The sky is so pretty, even when the gray clouds come overhead. Your friends say hi to you every day and your brothers are mean to you but you know they love you anyway. Your neighbors smile and wave as you walk down the street. You are so happy..."

A cannon shot went off. Kayla stood up and took some steps back to allow the hovercraft to take him away. She started to cry silent cries, and when she stopped, she sat next to William and put her arms around him.

"You..." stuttered William. "You..."

"Hush. We have to move camp." She stood up, taking the backpacks and the weapons. It didn't take long. She looked around the cave, sadly, and then took William's hand. "Come. Let's go."

They walked for some time. Kayla wasn't positive what she was looking for anymore. She kept looking back as if she expected Sean to give her instructions. She wasn't sure if she should hunt or look for water or...She had no clue what she wanted to do.

There was a weak sound from William. She chose to ignore it since she was too busy trying to find...something. She wasn't quite sure. That was when something sharp prodded in to her back.

"Slow movements now," snarled a cold voice.

Kayla turned around slowly to see...Kate. "Kate?"

"Yes," growled the tribute. Her eyes were blazing with a mixture of fury and grief. "Where is Sean?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

"S-Sean?" Kayla stammered. "He's...He's dead."

"Did you kill him?" she snarled.

"No, no! I didn't," Kayla said, looking pained.

"Who did?"

Kayla said softly, "It...it was Hunter and Lea."

Kate glared, her eyes flaming with anger. She growled, "You killed them?"

"Yes."

The bigger girl pulled herself up, holding her spear at a peaceful angle. There was pain in her eyes. "Sean was special to me. We kept it from everyone because he didn't like the other Careers. The Capitol couldn't know."

"They probably know now."

This brought tears to the girl's eyes. "I don't care who wins now. I don't want to. I think you should." She took a deep breath, and then said, "Thank you." Kate turned and ran in to the forest.

Kayla looked at William, who was staring at where the girl had disappeared in shock. "She played them as fools. Nobody knew. The Capitol is going to kill her," William whispered.

Kayla nodded. "Kind of like the stunt you tried."

He looked at her, but the expression went from slight anger to sadness. "Not funny, Kay." They stood there for a long time, watching each other. He said again, "Not funny, Kay."

She gave a soft sigh, pulled an arrow in to her bow. "Let's go."

She pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrow dug itself in to a small creature, a rabbit. It made a noise, a thunk. Just like the sound of Hunter and Lea. The sound made right before they died.

Kayla fell to her knees and screamed suddenly. William knelt at her side immediately. "Kay? Kayla? What's wrong?" he asked.

The trembling girl looked at him, her eyes wide with horror. "I...I killed them."

"You had to." They were the first words out of his mouth. He wasn't sure if they were honest, or a reflex answer, or just trying to make her feel better. Whatever the case, it didn't work.

"I had to? I had to?" she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. "Why so? I could've died. I could've just...I was trying to save him. I failed." She stood up and sobbed, "I failed."

"Kayla..."

She eventually stopped crying. William looked around nervously for the other tributes. They had to have heard them.

"Look what we have here," came a cold voice. "I was informed that you were dead, Miss Newers."

Kayla looked up in to the eyes of Bret, the six foot seven tribute.

Her eyes hardened. With a harsh laugh, she said, "I'm pretty good at avoiding death, aren't I? I have pretty good helpful people...like your Sean on my side, and your William who is actually my William. I seem to bother you a little, Bret."

"I am going to kill you," he snarled.

"Do what you like. I'm the one with the armed bow." She brought the bow up to his chest threateningly.

"I'm not alone."

"I seem to recall Hunter and Lea saying the same thing when they were killed," Kayla said, not sure why she said it or where she got the sudden stubbornness.

Bret's eyes widened and then narrowed in to a glare. "I have Kate here with me. If you turn around, you'll see she's got a spear against your back."

"Will?" Kayla asked, not eager on taking her eyes off this dangerous guy. She knew if her arrow didn't fly soon, he would be able to hurt her easily.

"I'm right here," Kate growled.

Kayla asked softly, "So, Kate, sunk this low?"

Bret took advantage of Kayla's indecision and pushed her back hard. Kayla accidentally let her arrow fly and with a thunk, it lodged itself in Bret's shoulder. He was hurt, but not badly. Looming over her with a large rock, his eyes narrowing in to a glare.

"I'm going to kill you."

Blood spurted everywhere suddenly, but it wasn't Kayla's, nor Will's. A spear wedged itself in to Bret's chest. He fell forward. A cannon shot went off before he hit the ground.

Kayla sprung on to her feet, pointing an armed bow towards the now defenseless Kate.

"Kill me, please!" begged the girl. "Please! I...I..."

Kayla let her arrow fly, but she missed. It lodged in to a tree barely four inches away from Kate. The almost hysterical girl grabbed the arrow out viciously, pointing it at her own chest.

"I will kill myself if you don't!" she shrieked.

"Kate," Kayla said in a soft voice, as if she were talking to an insane or incredibly frightened person. In this case, insane. "Kate, hush, it's okay. Put down your arrow."

"No! I will kill myself!" screamed the sobbing girl. "I WILL!"

"Put down the arrow," Kayla whispered as gently as possible.

"NO!" she screamed, pushing the arrow in to her chest.

Kayla screamed too; she couldn't help it. A fear encompassed her. She wasn't sure what she was scared of. She rushed up to the girl, who had a large hole in her chest and was spurting blood everywhere.

"Kate, Kate, please, hush," Kayla whispered. "Shh, shh, we're here."

"I want to see him," Kate whispered in reply, tears in her eyes. "Sean. I love him."

Kayla bowed her head sadly. "Kate..."

"I know, Kayla. I'm crazy..." she choked on her words for a moment and whispered, "Go win, Kayla. It's what he wanted, too." She lied back against the green grass, looking up at the bright blue sky. "The sky is blue...He loved the blue sky...Win, Kayla. It's what he would've wanted."

A loud cannon shot echoed through the arena.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

Kayla stepped away from the limp body of the once-powerful and beautiful District 2 tribute. "How many are left?" she asked softly, tears in her eyes.

"Us, Anne, and the District 9 boy."

She forced calmness in to her veins. She forced the memories of the other tributes, now dead, out of her mind. There were more important things. William stood quietly next to her, watching as the hovercraft took away the mangled body of Kate.

"We should go find water. We're running low," advised William softly.

They walked together in silence for some time, until they came upon the same stream Kayla had come to on the first day of the Games. How many days had passed? Not that many. Tributes had died pretty fast. Tired and thirsty and hot, Kayla touched the water with her finger tips.

A searing pain, something that felt like it was burning. She yelped and jumped back, examining her angry red fingers. Burned.

"It's acid," Kayla said, gritting her teeth.

"They want us to all...all get to...to..."

Kayla finished what he couldn't. "They want us all to go to where we started. In the field."

"A final bloodbath, eh?"

She had never heard him sound so bitter, but she nodded her agreement. Silently, they gathered the rest of their stuff. A white parachute appeared. Dasha had sent them acid burn medicine. It was cheap acid burn medicine, but it sent quick relief.

"I think she's running out of money," William murmured. "Maybe you shouldn't've begged her for no pain medicine for Sean."

"DON'T mention Sean," Kayla snarled, a fearful look coming to her eyes like a scared animal.

"O-okay."

They hid in bramble bushes, watching the field to see if the other two tributes had shown up. Both the District 9 boy and Anne sprung out in to the field suddenly. Against her better judgement, Kayla leapt in to the field to join the fight too. William followed, hot on her heels.

Kayla unsheathed a sword, something she rarely used. She wasn't sure what had encouraged her sudden fight not flee attitude, but she knew this wasn't her brightest idea. She was no good at hand to hand combat. Still, Kayla swiped at Anne and caught her with the flat of the blade.

Anne screamed with fury and threw a knife. It lodged in to William's gut, and he cried out, falling forward. Kayla sliced in to Anne's arm, causing her to spurt blood. There was a cannon shot, and since William was still writhing in pain, Kayla knew that another one of Anne's knives had made its mark. In the District 9 boy.

Something hit her shoulder, just as she was forcing her sword to slip down and cut in to Anne's chest. A death blow.

Kayla looked weakly at her shoulder, where her own blood started to spill. She sat down just as another cannon shot went off. Slowly and weakly, she crawled over to William, who was sprawled on the field, looking bad. His face was very pale and he had lost a lot of blood.

Kayla had that feeling again, the one that whatever she said in encouragement, that it was untrue. She knew something that she desperately did not want to admit. William was going to die.

"Don't leave me, William," she whispered, starting to sob hysterically. "Please, don't leave me!"

William's bloodied hand left his stomach wound to touch her cheek. "Shh, it's okay." His eyes were shining with tears. "Tell my family I love them, Makayla. I love you too."

She held his hand tightly, as if it were a lifeline, as if it would save his life. She blinked tears out of her eyes, not wanting to lose his brown/green gaze. "Will, please don't leave me. Please don't!"

"The medicine," he groaned.

She immediately pulled out the remainder of the pain medication and pushed the needle in to his arm. He calmed down instantly, the pain leaving his eyes. It was the strongest pain medication in the world.

"Live for me. Don't do what Kate did," William whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Kayla murmured, tears blinding her.

He gave a soft, contented sigh. "I know. I know. You be a good girl, okay?"

"Okay. Goodbye, William."

"Goodbye."

She kissed him gently, and he managed a small smile before he closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

And the very last cannon shot of the Games went off.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

That's when she wasn't sure what happened. She remembered resting her head in his chest, and she started sobbing. She held on to his hands and gripped him, holding him close to her, as if that would bring him back. She was scared to let go of him, scared to lose him completely.

Kayla wasn't completely sure when she was pulled away, because the next thing she recognized was darkness. The darkness, which she realized was sleep, was soon tortured by dreams. Nightmares of Anne's eyes, shining in the darkness before a scream and a cannon shot announced her death. Anne screaming William's name. William in front of her, smiling evilly with Bret and Hunter behind him. Sean, with a knife in his throat.

That was the last one, she burst up and her eyes opened. She was trembling and shaking in a cold sweat, looking fearfully around. "Where am I?" she said, on the brink of hysteria.

"You're in a hospital. You won the Hunger Games," said a soft voice.

She looked up at a tall and thin young man who reminded her so painfully of William that her throat felt constricted and tears started to come from her eyes. "I...I won? Now what?"

"Well...you go on the Victory Tour. Then you go home. In your District's Victor's Village, you will have a house and riches and...and everything."

"Except William," Kayla whispered.

"But he will forever live in our hearts," came another soft voice, this one recognizable. Terrin crossed the room and put her arms around Kayla.

Kayla started crying. "I miss him so much. I want him back."

Dasha sat on her bed, staring at her eyes sadly. "He wanted you to win. He did everything so you could live."

"I wanted him to live. I didn't want to."

"You didn't want to live?" Terrin whispered, looking horrified.

Kayla shook her head, tears still leaking out of her eyes. "No. I didn't care. And now, he's dead." And that's when the hysteria set in. She cried hysterically until the doctor poked her with a needle, and blackness covered where there had been color.

With the drug induced sleeps, the nightmares are even worst. She couldn't wake up, even when she was about to. The nightmares tormented and tortured her, but Kayla still couldn't wake until the drug wore off.

Hunting in the forest, William behind her. Letting the arrow fly at a rabbit, which at the last second turned in to Lea. William making a sound behind her, but when she turned around, Will was dead on the ground and Hunter had a knife at Sean's throat. Lea came alive, but became Bret with a long spear. Kate appeared out of nowhere, pointing an arrow at her chest.

When colors were welcomed by her eyes again, she found she did not care. She had wanted to go home before, but now, she was too miserable. Kayla wasn't sure if she'd be able to survive. It wasn't surviving the Games; it was surviving what happened afterwards. There was no happy endings for the victors.

Kayla wasn't sure when she became completely aware of her surroundings, but Dasha came in and said it was time to start the Victory tour. Terrin came with them, a line of clothes all prepared for Kayla's speeches.

~~~District 12

Kayla walked cautiously on to the stage and looked at the pale, sad faces of all the people. They were thin and gaunt, reminding her of her own home. She saw the families, standing on the stage nearby, looking sorrowful. They weren't angry with her; no, in fact, they felt sorry for her.

The mayor warmly welcomed her and introduced her to everyone. She gave her halfhearted speech, trying to seem even somewhat happy. Despite her fake happiness, she knew she would not smile a true smile for a long, long time.

Kayla found that she liked District 12 for the most part. She didn't care if she ever saw it again though. Everything started to meld together by the time she got back on the train and they headed to District 10, skipping her home district for last.

~~~Districts 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5

Kayla had difficulty following everything after twelve. She didn't remember many of the tributes, mostly because she tried to avoid everyone. Each District seemed to mold together to form one big mess of a district. Kayla knew she wouldn't remember much by the time she got home and rested. She began to wonder what she would do once she got home anyway.

~~~District 4


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:

~~~District 4

Kayla was not fond of District 4. She had personally killed Anne and she and Bret had hated each other. She nervously gave her speech, which was getting more and more repetitive. The same thing. The oh-so-great everything had been and how glad she was to have met Anne and Bret. Blah, blah, blah. It was even worst lying to these people because of the hate in their cold eyes.

They didn't care about her. Or William. In fact, they wanted her death. On the train, at night, she still had nightmares. She wasn't sure if they would ever go away. She didn't think so.

~~~District 3

District 3 was even worst. She had personally killed both Hunter and Lea to try and save Sean and to save herself and William. It made it worst to think about Hunter and Lea. Hunter with his knife, his evil eyes glinting in the dark. Lea with her powerful build and her sword brandished in front of her. Their families were much like them.

Hunter's family had four younger brothers and two younger sisters. One of the younger brother's shared one common characteristic: The dark glare that indicated absolute hatred. Lea's younger sister had the same dark skin and the long flowing hair. Images kept flashing behind her eyes. Hunter's knife. Blood. Lea's sword. More blood.

Her mind, tormented by these images, felt like it was being burned, frozen, melted, smashed, and beaten. Kayla wasn't sure how much more she could handle. To make it worst, Sean's and Kate's District was coming up.

~~~District 2

"Welcome to District 2," said the mayor quietly. Unlike the other two Career Districts, there was no hate in those eyes. It was pity.

Kayla gulped and gave her speech. It had changed. This time, it was more real. More heart felt. She walked over to Sean's family, trying not to cry. "I knew Sean. He was like a brother to me. You raised him to be a very good young man," she whispered, her voice cracking as she talked to his mother.

Sean's mother, who was beginning to cry, gave a slow and deliberate nod. Kayla turned towards Kate's family. "Kate...well, she was amazing. She was a powerful and smart tribute who could always get her priorities straight. She was incredible. The love she had for Sean..." she broke off and barely managed to continue, "And she saved my life. At the least expected times."

Kate's father put a hand on Kayla's shoulder, looking down at her with the same pity and grief the mayor had. Her mother gave her a timid hug. In silence, the two families stood together with the victor and cried. Kayla gave each of the young children a comforting hug, telling them to be brave like their older siblings in the Games had been.

Bravery, however, was the last thing in the world that Kayla felt.

~~~District 1

District 1 wasn't so bad. Both of the tributes had been killed by Lea, who Kayla had killed. The families were very appreciative in the vengeance.

And last but not least, the Capitol.

~~~~Capitol

Nothing had changed. The food still tasted the same. All those ridiculous accents still floated in the air. Kayla was so sick of everything that she could ripped it to pieces without caring.

She had lost more weight during her Victory Tour than during the Games. She had refused to eat because of anxiety first, then because of grief. Kayla wasn't sure when or if she would ever be able to live her life like a normal person, like what she had done before the Games. Not to mention the fact she still had to go home and live with the grief and guilt of her mother, she had to live with the guilt of three tributes and the horrors that the Games had created.

~~~~~District 11

The train ride was torturous in itself. Her dreams became more vivid and terrifying. Several times in the night, she woke up screaming with no one to come calm her. No Sean, no William.

The attendants were willing to let her nap throughout the ride, but she couldn't. It was too hard. And of course, the ride had to end.

She stepped off the train, watching everyone's expressions. Her father lifted her in to a huge embrace, kissing her cheeks.

"I missed you so much," he whispered.

Kayla nodded, tears in her eyes. She walked slowly over to William's family. John gave her a quick hug, and then Adelaide.

"I'm so sorry," Kayla murmured, trying not to cry. It was difficult with her eyes flooding. She gulped and continued, "He meant so much...to me. He was an amazing and brilliant and lovely person."

Adelaide said, "We know." She was sad and grieved, but she wasn't crying.

Aileen gave Kayla a hug too, and the two girls stood there, hugging and sobbing. Kayla hadn't felt so comforted in a long time. Just standing there with a girl that was similar to a younger sister, crying over the loss of a brother and a love.

"I watched you when you were with him when he died," Aileen whispered through tears. "It's what he wanted to hear."

"And it's what is true. I did love him." Kayla closed her eyes briefly to hide everything, but found the darkness more terrifying than the light. She opened them and passed William's message to his family. "He loved you all. He wanted you to know that before he died."

"Yes. We know," John murmured.

"I saw what you did with the District 2 boy," Adelaide brought up. "You are a very kind girl."

Kayla felt tears go through her defenses and fall down her cheeks. "I have cried rivers in the past few days. I'm sorry."

Adelaide gave her a warm, comforting hug. "Shh. It's okay."

No, it wasn't. But maybe, someday, it would be. Not now, though. Now was too soon. It seemed like nothing would be okay.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

Kayla walked quietly downstairs. She had lived in the Victor's Village in her large mansion for nearly four months now. The day's schedule was the same everyday: work on the gardens. Feed the pets. Sketch. Paint. Fix the house. Cook. Bring food to neighbors and visit old friends. Her father would sometimes go to town with her and they'd shop for food and have a huge dinner and invite friends. That was occasional; every two to three weeks. Anything and everything to get her mind off the Games.

She walked down the stairs every night around six for dinner. Her hands were stained with blue and purple paints. In a sheath on her hip was a knife. She went everywhere with it, as if it would guard her from nightmares. It didn't help any, but it made her feel just a little better.

A figure stood in the doorway. A tall, thin figure, dressed in a white Capitol doctor's outfit. Her Capitol doctor, Dr. Antcier.

"Dr. Antcier!" she exclaimed, surprised. "What's going on? Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"As long as you wash your hands," said the doctor with a warm smile, looking happy and a little relieved at her calmness. "And, I have a visitor. Someone you haven't seen in a while."

As if on cue, a tall, good-looking young man walked through the doors, with a worried smile plastered on his face. It was the warm, soft face she had seen in every one of her nightmares. The brown/green eyes that she never had wanted to lose. The same sandy, reddish brown hair that wasn't normally so tame except for when he had been attacked by the prep team.

It was William.

Kayla wasn't sure when a sane thought hit her, but the first thought definitely was not sane. She pulled out her knife threateningly and held it out in front of her.

"Get away from me," she snarled. "I will..." she let the threat hang in the air.

"Kayla, don't!" Dr. Antcier exclaimed. "I can explain everything. Over dinner?"

After quite a bit of gentle talk, mostly down by Dr. Antcier since William seemed to completely through her off any calmness, they managed to sit down at the dinner table. Her father seemed to have no problem with the not-so-dead William.

"Dasha, Terrin, and I were with the Gamemakers during the time William was quote 'dying'. He was not dead when the cannon went off. We managed to encourage the Gamemakers to send off the cannon early and save William just to be a little humane. Since you two seemed to love each other so much, it caused the majority of the vote in your favor. We didn't want anyone to know about..." Dr. Antcier paused, smiling a little. "We didn't want anyone to know."

Kayla didn't say anything for a long time. When she finally did talk, her voice was cold. "And you just let me think he was dead and then you bring him back, insisting he's not and you expect me to believe you?"

"Makayla," William whispered, standing in front of her, ignoring her knife.

Kayla looked at him, an even glare in her eyes. "Prove to me you are William." Her voice was not angry, but pleading. She wanted him so badly to be William.

"I saved your life. When you were hurt on the first day, in the field. I lied to the Careers and said you were dead."

"How does that prove you are William?"

William smiled grimly. "Nobody noticed. The Careers, all of them, thought you were dead. You and Sean...I met up with you two after the lightning storm." That's when he remembered his pre-Games promise. "And before the Games started, you made me promise to protect your Dad and help him and take care of him if you didn't come back."

Kayla's frown began to relax in to a true smile, and William said, "If that doesn't convince you, maybe this will."

He pulled up the front of his shirt to show a large scar. She reached out and touched the scar, nervously, gently. He smiled at her sadly and touched her cheek with the same hand as he had before he had died.

"I believe you." Tears started to penetrate, and she started to cry. She threw her arms around him, sobbing. "I believe you!"

William held her to him tightly, as if he was worried to lose her. "I'll never lose you again."

"You'd better not." She had never felt so happy, holding him close to her. "I missed you so much. So much."

They both took a step back, smiling. It was as if, though the Games had happened, everything would be alright. Because of each others presence.


End file.
